Improvement in kilns for burning bricks, tiles



A. MORAND.

Improvement in Kilns for Burning Bricks, Tiles, 8w.

No. 125,832. PatentedjA prill6,1872.

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AUGUSTUS MORAND, OF BROOKLYN, YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,832, dated April 16, 1872.

I, AUGUSTUS MoRANn, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented Improvements in Kilns forDrying and Burning Bricks, Tiles, and Ceramic Ware, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to kilns constructed with a series'of separate drying and burning chambers, separated by walls havingdraughtopenings through them at the bottom thereof; and it consists in constructing said chambers with fire-places,and (in the case of straight kilns) hot-air flues, at one end thereof, and with openings in its upper part at the opposite end thereof, these upper openings being connected in either side by horizontal fines leading to the chimney, and the lower hot-air flues (usedwith a straight kiln) connected with each other on either side by bottom fines, constructed under the kiln from end to end; the object of my invention being to facilitate the drying and burnin g of bricks, &c., in the most expeditious and economical manner, by first driving off the superabundant moisture therefrom in the form of vapor and steam directly through the upper openings in each chamber; then, by closing said apertures, and opening the lower draught, apertures in the division-wall to carry the surplus heat from the one kiln directlyiuto the bottom of the next, or through the bottom fiues to any other chamber of the kiln, as may be desired.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan of the bottom of my improved kiln, the position and arrangement of the hot-air fiues being illustrated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken irregularly in the lines :20 a: of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section in the line y y of Fig. 2.

A A A are the drying and burning chambers of the kiln, which are preferably built in a right line with each other, as shown in the drawing. The chambers are inclosed by strong, well-built outer walls, and are arched over, as illustrated in Fig. 3. They are lined with suitable bricks, and separated from' each other by partition-walls a of the same material. Manholes I) and air-holes c are left in the partitionwalls to be opened or closed, at pleasure, in the usual manner with bricks or clay, in the operations of the kiln. Each chamber is provided also with outer doorways, d and 6, arranged on either side, as convenience may suggest, for the reception therein of unburned bricks, and the delivery of the finished bricks therefrom, and which are likewise closed in the customary manner by means of temporary walls of brick. Fire-places ff are constructed on each side of the kiln, at one end of each chamber, preferably in the two corners, as illustrated in the drawing, excepting in chamber A where they are preferably constructed in the front end, as also shown in the same drawing. Stokeholes 9 g,are formed systematically through the arched roof of each chamber to supply fuel thereto at the proper time. (See Fig. 3.)

In the construction ofthe improved kiln, as

thus far described, its several features are well known, and have been heretofore employed, if not collectively, in the manner and combination set forth, nevertheless singly or in other combinations.

B B are horizontal steam and smoke draughtfiues, formed longitudinally on either side of the kiln to extend from end to end thereof over the arch forming the roof of the chambers; Openings or passages i 'i are formed on each side of the kiln, through the top of each chamber, by preference, at that end thereof remote from its fire-places f f, so as to communicate with said fiues B B, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing. Horizontal dampers r r are arranged to close the openings t z, and vertical dampers r r are employed to close the upper longitudinal fiues B B in front of said openings 6 t, as shown in Fig. 2. O 0, (see dotted lines Fig. 1,) are longitudinal hot-air flues constructed under the floor of the kiln, to extend from end to end thereof beneath the entire series of chambers. Branch flues or pasu of the kiln; but, their communication therewith is controlled at pleasure by suitable dampers. Instead of constructingthe fiues centrally under the kiln they may be constructed on either side thereof, or, in fact, although two are preferable, a simple longitudinal fiue may be used. The draught-fines B B and bottom fiues G 0 being both incommunication with the chimney or chimneys, and with each of the chambers, form, in connection and combination, a continuous passage or channel over and under the kiln from end to end thereof, or through any one or more of the burning chambers through which draughts or currents of air may be passed, the direction of the draught or current being determined by the dampers.

The operation of this improved kiln is as follows: The chambers A A 850., being filled with green bricks or other articles for drying and burning, and the doorways, communicating openings, and stoke-holes being closed, fires are built in the fireplaces f f f of the first chamber A the openings 2' iinto the upper longitudinal fines B B are unclosed, and the openings into the lower flues t t are closed by means of their proper dampers. As the bricks gradually become heated and give off their steam or vapor in drying, this vapor is atonce carried off through the flues B B, and from the position and peculiar arrt ngement of the openings into said fines on either side of the crown of the arch, the moisture is carried off from all parts of the chamber uniformly, commencing at the bottom and front end thereof. The bricks at any one point are-thus prevented from becoming or remaining unduly moist after the remainder have dried; the lowermost tiers, which are subjected to the greatest pressure, being the first to dry and harden. So soon as the bricks in the first chamber are thoroughly dry, and the moisture is expelled therefrom, the horizontal dampers 1' r, of the openings into the steam-fines B B, and the adjoining vertical dampers 1" r in said fines are closed,

and the stoking from the top commences so.

soon as there is heat enough from the fires below to ignite the fuel thus supplied. The fires are in the meantime lighted in the second chamher A, and the dampers r 0" of the passage connecting this chamber with the fines B are opened, and the operations above described, with reference to the first chamber A are repeated in this second chamber A Thus, the

' entire series of drying and burning chambers in the kiln are successively filled and heated. When, however, the bricks or other articles in the first chamber A are sufficiently dried, instead of wasting the heat therein by continuing the draught directly with the chimney through the-upper flues B, the passages 72 t communicatin g with said'flues are closed, and the openings in the division-walls between the chamber A and the next chamber A are unclosed, and the surplus heat necessarily obtained in finishing the burning is utilized in drying and heating the fresh charge of bricks in this adjacent chamber A or, if, by chance, the next adj acent chamber be not charged readyfor drying then the surplus heat may be conveyed through the openin gs tt into the bottom fines O G, and through them by a proper arrangement of dampers to any other of the chambers, as desired. Thus the surplus heat from one chamber in the series is utilized in the operation of the next, until the last chamber A is reached. When the bricks or other articles in this chamber A are sufficiently dried the dampers in the passages leading therefrom to the upper fiues B B are closed, and the dampers closing. the passages leading therefrom to the bottom fiues O O are opened; and the communication of said fines with the chimney and with all intermediate chambers being also closed, the surplus heat may be conveyed back to the first chamber A to be there utilized in drying the fresh charge of brick or other articles, in the meantime placed therein; or, as above set forth, by aproper arrangement of the dampers, may be conveyed to any other of the drying and burning chambers which maybe charged I with brick ready for drying and burning.

It will be observed that in the use of the bottom fines O (J, and their branches communicatin g with the several drying and burning chambers to convey the surplus heat from one chamber to another, the necessary draught in and through each chamber required to produce a draught or current thereinto from the bottom flues G G is obtained by means of the upper fiues B B, connected with the chimney or chimneys, and opening into the upper part of each chamber, asset forth.

Thus, by means of the special construction and arrangement of the upper and lower fines B and 0, controlled by dampers, as described, and communicating with each other through each chamber by suitable passages or openings, thereinto from the one and the other, the drying, burning, and cooling of bricks or other articles in each successive chamber of the kiln, may be conducted continuously, regularly, and

expeditiously with very great economy of fuel and in case it is found necessary to discontinue the operation in any one or more of the chambers of the series, the connection with such chambers may be closed and yet the operations in the other chambers be carried on without interruption and still economizing in the utilization of the surplusheat.

I claim as my invention- 1. My improved kiln for drying and burn ing bricks, tiles, &c., constructed substantially as herein described, of two or more drying and burning chambers, separated by division-walls having direct draught'openings formed in the bottom thereof said chambers being provided with suitable fire-places on each side at one end and with dranghtapertures oneach side in the upper portion of the opposite ends, these upper draught-apertures being connected di rectly on either side by horizontal flues leedside from end to end of the kiln by horizontal ing directly through the top of the kiln to the flues constructed under the floor thereof, subchimney, all substantially as and for the purstantially as and for the purpose herein set pose herein set forth. forth.

2. In combination with the subject-matter AUGS. MORAND. of the preceding claim, hot-air openings formed Witnesses: on each chamber adjacent to the fire-places DAVID A. BURR,

thereof, and connected with eachother ineither H. H. YOUNG. 

